Justine Diacomihalis finds passion diving in the depths

And a win in the AIDA Melbourne Freedivers Winter Championships in May has her thrilled to chase the opportunity.

Over three days of competition Justine completed a 161m swim while fully submerged in the bi-fin contest, then in the mono-fin improved her distance to 181m. Those results put her to the top of the tally in both disciplines.

In a static submerged breath holding event on the third day, Justine held her breath for more than four minutes, but was out-classed by former New Zealand national pool freediving champion Suzy Malseed who smashed out a six-minute result.

The overall results were tallied and the final count left Justine speechless.

"I was gob-smacked to hear that I had won the women's division and that my mono-fin distance actually landed me number three in Australia and fourth for Australia in the bi-fins," she said.

Justine said the three disciplines were all about enduring as long as you could on one solitary breath.

Now she's aspiring to chase down the Australian records if she can.

The motivation however, comes from a much deeper place, faced with foreboding questions at the height of the Black summer bushfires.

"When the fires hit, the sky, the town, what seemed like the entire universe went black at 10am, I had been evacuated from my home and found myself at my parents house - the home where I grew up," she said.

"I was pacing back and forth wondering quietly if today is the day we were going to die."

She said that was the very same dining room where she would always turn to her Mum or Dad for reassurance and answers in times of fright.

"But looking at Mum and Dad, now in their 80s, their tired worried faces full of confusion and concern, I knew they couldn't guarantee me that we were going to be OK, we were all wondering it."

There in the depths of dread came a revelation, Justine realised she had lived her life for others

"As I paced back and forth I desperately pondered, 'if today is the day, am I ok to go? Am I satisfied with everything I've done in this life? Did I achieve what I wanted? Am I happy with the way I have lived?' and oh my lord did I receive a big fat slap in the face," she said.

"It suddenly dawned on me that I had spent the last 20 years revolving my life around being a Mum and running a family business. Caring for everyone else except myself. Yes I've had some great holidays in between and was grateful thinking about those adventures. But in regards to every day living.... What the hell am I doing?"

The black skies cleared and the family home was spared the destruction, but there was still a darkness weighing on Justine's heart.

She went back to work at the family business, a motel, but the COVID-19 lockdowns hit soon after and with no guests and no reprieve in sight her father made the move to close the doors for the first time since opening in 1972.

It again raised questions for Justine about what she was doing with her life, saying living as a single parent was not easy.

"But I felt determined to start ticking off my bucket list," she said.

"So I did and fate led me to my amazing dream man. Mick Austin from Drawn 2 Water Freediving, breathwork and movement school.

"He started teaching me about how to live under water. I'd always been a surface surfer. Never really thought about spending much time in the depths."

But she gave the free diving a go and with support from Mick, Justine was hooked.

"From the first breath hold I became hooked. It was like an awakening, as if I had returned home from a long lost journey," she said.

She said it had been an "amazing experience" to learn about the sport she describes as 'therapy' and learning about herself on that journey.

Freediving at a base level is holding your breath under water with no reliance on instruments or equipment.

"It's just you and your last breath," Justine said, and she finds it fascinating and freeing.

"There is a sense of being suspended in time. Your heartbeat is slowed, the freedom of being immersed in water like an ocean animal is addictive."

She finds the silence appealing. In stark contrast the often race-paced day-to-day of the modern world, freediving is about taking one big gulp of air and plunging yourself into the pale blue serene beneath.

"I listened to my heartbeat, I never listen to it. It was humbling," she said.

"Soon, Mick taught me how to take freediving and the silence into the pool. I began to train with him and found such therapy in that in itself.

"We started talking about the competitive side of freediving and played with the idea of competing in a pool discipline to set a goal for something different in life for once.

"It was then I found my purpose. Outside of the family business. Outside of being a Mum. Outside of caring for my Mum. Outside of just being me."

Now that purpose has her placed as one of the top five competitors in Australia with designs on becoming number one.

Jordan Duncan is the current number one and was setting the standard in June that Justine would have to challenge.

"I do want to chase number one, she's half my age so it's quite the aspiration," Justine said with a laugh.

After listening to podcasts on the sport and the art of breathing before a dive, Justine said she had grown a keen interest in the mono-fin style, kicking gracefully through the water like a mermaid.

"My thoughtful partner Mick had actually given me a mono fin in lockdown for my birthday and I so wanted to learn how to use it properly. I had tried if a few times and it felt so naturally easy gliding under water," she said.

She reached out to Jarrod Briffa who had featured on those podcasts and asked for guidance, he established an eight-week training regime in the lead up to the Winter Championships.

"Mick coached me through [the program] in the Eurobodalla and Shoalhaven pools as well as land training which involved static breath-hold training and Apnea walks.

"I also trained regularly with a local friend who is an avid free diver Ali Ryan, I am hoping she will compete with me next time as she is a bloody legend."

While the results stunned her, it also puts her in good stead to qualify for the World Freediving Championships.

"This has inspired me now to train for World Freediving championships because if you are in the top four for your country you qualify to represent it," she said.

She said the Bushfires and COVID-19 had left their mark, "tarnishing" her in a way and leaving some trauma in their wake, it has also awoken a new outlook and led her on a journey of self-fulfilment.

I love having goals and an actual purpose now that I am passionate about and not just on auto pilot," she said.

Freediving has been added to the World Games program and will be held in China in 2025 so Justine is hoping to contest the next Australian Nationals and re-qualify for the World Championships.

It's a purpose she's found that she now also wants to help share for others.

"Since the fires I have completed 3 certified levels of freediving through PADI and have now become an instructor with Mick at Drawn 2 Water, we offer freediving, breathwork and movement, surf survival and snorkel tours/ after school kids programs all along the coast, including Canberra," Justine said.

"Breath workshops are becoming increasingly popular for teamwork and local businesses. We help people interact more calmly in their stressful work environment by using the breath."

There are various classes for kids and adults, if you'd like to give it a go visit their website www.drawn2water.com.au or call Mick on 0424 711 422.